Reference no: EM131876331

Need a response to a discussion post.

The orginial discussion was asked to answer questions about the below story

This case deals with the development of a comprehensive performance appraisal and management system that Dr. Amy Carver and her team designed and implemented for Wachovia Bank. Dr. Carver received her Ph.D. in I/O Psychology in 1992 from Rice University. At the time of this case, she was Senior Vice President for Organizational Effectiveness for Wachovia Bank.

One of the concerns Dr. Carver had when she got to Wachovia was that they did not have a common performance appraisal and management system. Each year supervisors filled out evaluations, but there were no consistent standards and raises were not closely tied to performance. To remedy this, Dr. Carver and her team put together a comprehensive system that became part of the management/supervision system of the organization. This system tied together annual performance reviews with goal setting, employee development, and supervisor coaching.

The system runs on an annual cycle beginning in December. The evaluation portion, which involves both employee self-appraisal and supervisor ratings, is entirely Web-based. Each employee-supervisor pair logs onto the company computer system to complete evaluation forms. These forms are focused on the match between the employee's competencies, as displayed for the year, and the organization's competency model for that position. This model, which was derived from a job analysis, is a specification of the competencies and skills needed for doing the job. When both employee and supervisor are done, a report is automatically generated that highlights areas of disagreement, and this becomes the basis for a face-to-face discussion.

Around the first of the year, each supervisor meets with each subordinate to discuss his or her performance and to agree on goals for the upcoming year. These goals specify not only what is to be accomplished but also how it is to be done, thus providing a balanced emphasis on both work quality and quantity. The Web-based system sends e-mail reminders to each supervisor at quarterly intervals to conduct required coaching sessions with subordinates to provide feedback about competency and goal progress up to that time of the year. Goals for the future of the system include linking raises each year to performance and making the salary system part of performance management. As you can see, the Wachovia system goes far beyond just completing the usual "report card" on every employee each year. (Spector, 2006 p.103)

Then I posted the below to answer the questions

1. Do you think you would like working in a company with this sort of performance system? Why or why not?

Yes, I would like to work in a company with this sort of performance system for many reasons. It is comprehensive linking goals with competency and employee development which would make me work harder and make me want to further my knowledge. There is regular feedback from your manager on your performance which would let me know what I am doing right and what I could do better. It lets employees do self-appraisal and share expectation. The goals are descriptive on covering how they are to be accomplished so it is clear on what is expected of me. All these make the system transparent and encouraging.

2. Why would a company like Wachovia invest so much effort into performance evaluation?

It should invest because it will help in increasing employee morale and motivation to work. It will improve productivity due to clarity in goals and the means to accomplish the goals. It will enhance senior subordinate relationships with employees. It will reduce chance of conflict due to regular feedback and discussion.

3. Why are managers required to provide quarterly coaching sessions? Isn't a once-a-year system enough?

Quarterly reviews are better because it helps to give periodic feedback and share the expectation. It helps to improve productivity of the employee. It gives the right direction and solves hurdles in accomplishing the goals. It could reduce chance of conflict in performance appraisal at the year end.

4. Do you think goal setting will increase employee motivation and performance?

Yes, it will drastically improve employee motivation and performance as goals will be aligned in the beginning with clarity on how the goals need to be achieved. Periodic reviews will ensure the employees performance is on track. The seriousness towards goal will help the employee to increase performance because the employee knows what is expected of them.

Now You need to respond to the below question from Your professor

What is an example of a goal that is both challenging and achievable? A goal needs to be both in order to be motivating. Please explain.